TOTCF content because my brain go brr

Meeting Cale's friends

Cale sat down on the floor, forest mulch under his hands. He was back in that universe. That world Despair brought him. The one where he got a second chance to save his family. Uncle Jang Man Soo, Grandma Kim, the siblings who looked up to him. 

That was a nice memory. He liked that one, even if his ending was dying like a fucking hamster.

And of course, he made two allies. Mr Rabbit, and the Steel Feathered Hawk. They helped him for their own land. They were monsters, but they were smart. At the end of the day, they were more helpful than Chul Min, that's for sure. The only monsters he could tolerate.

Even if they had weird personalities. The Hawk really liked being called noona, and the Rabbit liked being called Sir. Their tails would wag if he indulged them, and his noona preened when he'd press against her softest feathers and nap. Mr Rabbit didn't like him enough for that, but sometimes he'd give him dead animals. He seemed to not understand that Cale liked cooked food.

Cale shook his head. He needed to get out of this universe and back into his own. He needed to find people and get some help. First things first, he should find out where he is. So he stood up again, and flexed his fingers. A tree grew tall underneath his feet. His ancient powers still worked well. Nice.

'Hey Cale! Don't overwork me, okay? I don't want you to faint.'

Cale nodded as the tree continued to grow taller, and he looked far away. Forests and overgrown vines took over ruined buildings. He recognised that ruin. Considering how overgrown it was, it seemed to three years after the last time he was here. 

Great! That gave him a time. Now he needed to find a place. He continued to look left and right, trying to find something that indicated where he was. He kept his eyes narrowed and focused on the ruins, hoping to figure out what it was. Maybe it was the remains of a hospital, or a home, or a bank. Wind viciously whipped his hair over his face, and Cale swatted it away the best he could.

He felt weightless. Cale blinked, looking down at the tree he grew not so long ago. The beautiful pink blossoms that bloomed on the branches slowly became a small pink spot on the green ground. His shoulders ached, like he was getting tugged incessantly. He was going up...?

Cale cocked his head back, looking at steel feathers. Powerful wings batted the air, bringing him higher and higher up, and the familiar gnashing of her beak only further concreted his conclusion. What a coincidence. He was going to get eaten alive by one of the only monsters he was just saying he tolerated. Cale sighed quietly, hoping that he'd get swallowed whole so he could try and break out without broken limbs again.

He resigned himself to the flight, relaxing in order to not strain his shoulders. He wasn't expecting to suddenly get tossed up, spinning in a perfect arc before being caught in her sharp beak. The ridged edges were digging into him, and Cale was thankful for the fact she wasn't also stabbing into his sides with posion.

He could feel blood stains growing through his clothes, and hoped she hadn't a taste for his blood. Her beak twitched, and Cale strained a tight gasp as the beak's bumps cut, but stayed obediently still. Cale didn't even attempt to get comfortable, already feeling himself start to lose consciousness.

'Don't worry. They won't lay a single hand on you! ...feather? Wing?' Was the last thing Cale heard before finally submitting to sleep — his confidence not aroused from the comment.

——

"Wa....k...up."

"did you....him?"

"No! ...gentle.....weaker than remembered."

"He was always weak...."

"Give me a break, I've never carried something so fragile in my beak and NOT wanted to break it." A annoyed squawk punctuated the end of her sentence.